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拍品专文
Madge Gill’s textiles are the rarest expressions of her artistic practice, and, due to their scarcity, have never before been offered at auction. These intricate, vibrant creations form an integral part of her oeuvre and were understood by Gill as collaborations with an unseen guiding force she called Myrninerest. On occasion, this otherworldly engagement extended beyond stitching, weaving, knitting, and embroidering artworks to the creation of garments she herself wore, as though cloaking her body in a protective mantle of spiritual energy.
Very few of Gill’s textile works survive. A small number are held in public institutions such as the Whitworth Art Gallery in England and the Collection de l’Art Brut in Switzerland, where they are valued for the insight they offer into her inventive use of materials and unconventional automatic techniques. This example, from the only known private collection, exemplifies Gill’s approach to abstraction, echoing the familiar proliferating forms found in her works on paper and calico. Constructed from colored silks, cotton threads, and wool, this materially rich work pushes the boundaries of spirit inspired automatism.
For Gill, all media, whether calicos, works on board, postcards, or textiles, were equally valid and exhibited side by side. Working from within the confines of her own home, she overcame significant adversity to embrace an extraordinary creative life, leaving behind a body of work she believed could help heal society. Imbued with a palpable sense of hope and mystery, her works resonate today as a testament to creativity, resilience, and the enduring power of visionary expression, offering continued relevance and inspiration to contemporary audiences.
-Vivienne Roberts
Born illegitimately to a single mother, as a child Gill was transferred between homes, lived in an orphanage, and later worked as an indentured servant. She was introduced to spiritualism while living with an aunt, though its impact did not take effect until later in life. In 1907, she married her cousin, Thomas Gill. Only two of their four children survived. Following the death of her last child in 1919, Gill became deeply spiritual and began drawing with great vigor, and her artistic output became a way to connect with her departed loved ones.
While Gill was prolific as an artist in card and calico, she created fewer of these remarkable embroidered works, perhaps due to the time and labor required to complete each. Per curator Sophie Dutton, “In 1947 Madge Gill was photographed with a series of embroideries that have never been seen since. She had written to a friend describing how she had created over 30 textile pieces, but only four of these works [had] been recorded in gallery archives. After an extensive search for the lost artworks… a series of public appeals took place. One of these resulted in Patricia Berger, who has a remarkable collection, getting in touch.” (Sophie Dutton, Rediscovering Madge Gill's long lost embroideries, 2019). In 2018, Berger came forward with 11 remarkable pieces that had been stored carefully in her loft since the early 1960s. Untitled is from this trove.
Very few of Gill’s textile works survive. A small number are held in public institutions such as the Whitworth Art Gallery in England and the Collection de l’Art Brut in Switzerland, where they are valued for the insight they offer into her inventive use of materials and unconventional automatic techniques. This example, from the only known private collection, exemplifies Gill’s approach to abstraction, echoing the familiar proliferating forms found in her works on paper and calico. Constructed from colored silks, cotton threads, and wool, this materially rich work pushes the boundaries of spirit inspired automatism.
For Gill, all media, whether calicos, works on board, postcards, or textiles, were equally valid and exhibited side by side. Working from within the confines of her own home, she overcame significant adversity to embrace an extraordinary creative life, leaving behind a body of work she believed could help heal society. Imbued with a palpable sense of hope and mystery, her works resonate today as a testament to creativity, resilience, and the enduring power of visionary expression, offering continued relevance and inspiration to contemporary audiences.
-Vivienne Roberts
Born illegitimately to a single mother, as a child Gill was transferred between homes, lived in an orphanage, and later worked as an indentured servant. She was introduced to spiritualism while living with an aunt, though its impact did not take effect until later in life. In 1907, she married her cousin, Thomas Gill. Only two of their four children survived. Following the death of her last child in 1919, Gill became deeply spiritual and began drawing with great vigor, and her artistic output became a way to connect with her departed loved ones.
While Gill was prolific as an artist in card and calico, she created fewer of these remarkable embroidered works, perhaps due to the time and labor required to complete each. Per curator Sophie Dutton, “In 1947 Madge Gill was photographed with a series of embroideries that have never been seen since. She had written to a friend describing how she had created over 30 textile pieces, but only four of these works [had] been recorded in gallery archives. After an extensive search for the lost artworks… a series of public appeals took place. One of these resulted in Patricia Berger, who has a remarkable collection, getting in touch.” (Sophie Dutton, Rediscovering Madge Gill's long lost embroideries, 2019). In 2018, Berger came forward with 11 remarkable pieces that had been stored carefully in her loft since the early 1960s. Untitled is from this trove.